A story in Saturday’s edition of The News Courier about an accident involving a school bus highlights a longstanding — and extremely dangerous — problem of drivers disobeying laws of the road.
It is inconceivable to think with all the educational efforts, newspaper articles and public service announcements, that drivers could be unaware they are supposed to stop when school buses are letting students on or off.
The buses put out stop signs, but we see drivers every day who do not heed them.
Bus drivers themselves report gross negligence on the part of drivers in Limestone County.
Drivers in all lanes and from all directions are required by law to stop for buses loading and unloading.
We were lucky that Friday’s accident did not result in injury. In that case, a vehicle hit a car that already had stopped for the bus.
But when drivers refuse to follow the law and stop for school buses, the risk is to our children.
They are the ones we put on the line.
We may get frustrated by the frequent stops of slow buses when we are late for work; we may even think passing the bus or moving ahead in the opposing lane could not possibly put anyone at risk.
But oftentimes, children cannot be seen behind the bulky buses until the last moment.
Please be careful and stop for buses.
Being a few minutes late for work or an appointment could save a child’s life.
